So, since my new comic is using the traditional comics layout, I've been trying to cultivate my comics knowledge and tastes-- which is to say, I've been reading comic books and studying how they're put together.

I've commented before on the vast depths of my comic ignorance, and it still holds true, although gradually becoming slightly less so. Since I started reading the new Captain Marvel (♥) and Avenging Spider-Man (in trades) and with the general coolness of the Iron Man, Captain America, and Avengers movies, I have slowly been getting up to speed with the Marvel universe, at least some of the broad strokes. For instance, I have now learned:

J. Jonah Jameson is apparently the mayor of NYC these days. I guess that's probably the best way to keep him bedeviling Peter Parker, who presumably isn't a struggling photographer just out of school any more.

There is a "Red Hulk," whose last name is Ross (I assume related to Betty Ross, Bruce Banner's original GF, and her father General Ross, if not actually Gen. Ross himself, which would be ridiculous but this is comics). My assumption until now had been that the various color Hulks were just Banner under the influence of changing radiation effects.

Who the heck this Deadpool guy is that people keep talking about. Basically he's a badass version of Ambush Bug, which leads me to wonder why Deadpool is a fan fave while Ambush Bug is obscure. Is it really because of the "I'm so badass and want to die but I can't" wank? Ugh. But whatevs. (And in fairness, it might just be timing... if Ambush Bug had been created when there was an internet, he might have gotten a lot more attention.) [1]

Compare/contrast to the DC universe, which I've been semi-actively avoiding due to all the shenanigans I keep hearing about from the current editorial diktat. (Supes dumping Lois for Wonder Woman? Seriously? And WW being okay with this? I don't think so.) I'm enjoying Amethyst, but that's only tangentially related and is pretty much its own thing (and keeps having rumors of cancellation). I'm having fun watching Batman: The Brave and Bold and fully intend to pick up Batman '66 when it comes out, but those can hardly be considered actually "in" the DC Universe, as much as anything is.

-The Gneech

[1] Side note: I played Ambush Bug in a CHAMPIONS campaign once and really enjoyed it. He had extra-dimensional teleport so that he could jump around to different points in time (by going to different "pages of the comic") or completely out of the story all together (by going to the letters page to read the comic's mail until the fight was over, etc.).